The Candidates matches to determine the next World Championship challenger were held at Kazan in Russia last month. At 42 Boris Gelfand (Israel) was the oldest of the eight players to face off in the knock-out match competition, and far from most fancied. In world ranking order he was up against number 3 Levon Aronian (Armenia), 4 Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), 7 Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), 9 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan), 12 Alexander Grischuk (Russia), 13 Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) and 18 Gata Kamsky (USA). Gelfand only outranked the last of these, at 16th in the world.
However the short match format proved a great leveller. With only four classical games before a playoff of the same number of Rapid games and then sudden death pairs of Blitz games, the players by necessity adopted a safety-first strategy. Players were mutually content to draw all games and head for the Blitz playoff in many of the matches. Gelfand won two of only three decisive classical games in the whole event. In turn he eliminated Mamedyarov, Kamsky and Grischuk to emerge as the challenger to Vishwanathan Anand in a match scheduled for 2012.
Today's game is not the decisive final game that clinched the match against Grischuk, but Gelfand's superb 'sacrificial defence' victory with Black in the third classical game against Mamedyarov.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 ---
The Fischer Variation of the Najdorf Sicilian. White has aggressive kingside attacking ambitions. 6.--- e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.O-O Be7 9.Qf3 Qc7 10.Qg3 O-O 11.Bh6 Ne8 12.Rad1 Bd7 13.f4 Nc6 14.f5 Nxd4 15.Rxd4 Kh8!?
A new move, deviating from 15... Bf6 played by Kasparov against Morozevich in 2001. The tempting reply 16 f6!? Bxf6 17 Rxf6! gxh6! 18 Rxh6 Rg8 doesn't seem to lead to anything concrete for White. 16.Be3 Nf6 17.Qh3 d5!
The thematic central break in the Sicilian to counter White's attack on the wing. Now the pawn exchange 18 exd5 exf5! leaves the white pieces blocked from the kingside, so White invests a pawn instead to activate his rooks with gain of time. 18.e5!? Qxe5 19.Rh4 Rfc8 20.Kh1?! Rxc3!
Another thematic Sicilian idea, this exchange sacrifice removes a potential attacker and creates lasting weaknesses in the White pawn structure. White might have avoided this with 20 Bg5!?, but not 20 Bd4 Bc5! making a key defensive exchange. 21.bxc3 Qxc3 22.Rd4?! ---
Possibly the best was to eschew the attack and swap queens with 22 Bd4, but Black then has more than adequate compensation for the exchange. After the text, the vulnerability of the light squared bishop to the charging black pawns results in further discomfort. 22.--- a5! 23.Rd3 Qc6 24.c3 a4 25.Bc2 e5!
Now it's the turn of Black's centre pawns to advance – at the same time keeping lines on the kingside closed. 26.Bg5 b4 27.Qh4!? ---
Going for broke against the black king, but now there is no restraining the central pawn avalanche. 27.--- bxc3! 28.Rh3 Kg8!
Calmly side-stepping the threatened 29 Bxf6 mating, which now leads nowhere after 29 ...Bxf6 30 Qxh7+ Kf8. 29.Re1 e4 30.g4 Kf8 31.Be3 Qc4 32.g5 Bxf5!
Going a whole rook down but the five pawns are an excellent bargain. 33.gxf6 Bxf6 34.Qh5 Bg6!
This game has been all about the true value of pieces in the given position, compared to their nominal value. Here the bishop is worth more than White's misplaced rook. 35.Qg4 Qxa2 36.Bb1 Qc4 37.Qg2 a3 38.Ba2 Qc6 39.Rg3 Rb8 White Resigns
Black is lining up yet another sacrifice on b2 to set up an invincible pawn formation. E.g: 39...Rb8 40 Bc1 Rb2! 41 Bxb2 axb2 42 Bb1 Be5 43 Rge3 f5 44 Rf1 Qf6 45 Ree1 d4 and roman legions will crush all in their path.
Veteran earns right to challenge Anand
Problem: White to play and mate in 5.
The Candidates matches to determine the next World Championship challenger were held at Kazan in Russia last month. At 42 Boris Gelfand (Israel) was the oldest of the eight players to face off in the knock-out match competition, and far from most fancied. In world ranking order he was up against number 3 Levon Aronian (Armenia), 4 Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), 7 Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), 9 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan), 12 Alexander Grischuk (Russia), 13 Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) and 18 Gata Kamsky (USA). Gelfand only outranked the last of these, at 16th in the world.
However the short match format proved a great leveller. With only four classical games before a playoff of the same number of Rapid games and then sudden death pairs of Blitz games, the players by necessity adopted a safety-first strategy. Players were mutually content to draw all games and head for the Blitz playoff in many of the matches. Gelfand won two of only three decisive classical games in the whole event. In turn he eliminated Mamedyarov, Kamsky and Grischuk to emerge as the challenger to Vishwanathan Anand in a match scheduled for 2012.
Today's game is not the decisive final game that clinched the match against Grischuk, but Gelfand's superb 'sacrificial defence' victory with Black in the third classical game against Mamedyarov.
1.e4 c5
2.Nf3 d6
3.d4 cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nf6
5.Nc3 a6
6.Bc4 ---
The Fischer Variation of the Najdorf Sicilian. White has aggressive kingside attacking ambitions.
6.--- e6
7.Bb3 b5
8.O-O Be7
9.Qf3 Qc7
10.Qg3 O-O
11.Bh6 Ne8
12.Rad1 Bd7
13.f4 Nc6
14.f5 Nxd4
15.Rxd4 Kh8!?
A new move, deviating from 15... Bf6 played by Kasparov against Morozevich in 2001. The tempting reply 16 f6!? Bxf6 17 Rxf6! gxh6! 18 Rxh6 Rg8 doesn't seem to lead to anything concrete for White.
16.Be3 Nf6
17.Qh3 d5!
The thematic central break in the Sicilian to counter White's attack on the wing. Now the pawn exchange 18 exd5 exf5! leaves the white pieces blocked from the kingside, so White invests a pawn instead to activate his rooks with gain of time.
18.e5!? Qxe5
19.Rh4 Rfc8
20.Kh1?! Rxc3!
Another thematic Sicilian idea, this exchange sacrifice removes a potential attacker and creates lasting weaknesses in the White pawn structure. White might have avoided this with 20 Bg5!?, but not 20 Bd4 Bc5! making a key defensive exchange.
21.bxc3 Qxc3
22.Rd4?! ---
Possibly the best was to eschew the attack and swap queens with 22 Bd4, but Black then has more than adequate compensation for the exchange. After the text, the vulnerability of the light squared bishop to the charging black pawns results in further discomfort.
22.--- a5!
23.Rd3 Qc6
24.c3 a4
25.Bc2 e5!
Now it's the turn of Black's centre pawns to advance – at the same time keeping lines on the kingside closed.
26.Bg5 b4
27.Qh4!? ---
Going for broke against the black king, but now there is no restraining the central pawn avalanche.
27.--- bxc3!
28.Rh3 Kg8!
Calmly side-stepping the threatened 29 Bxf6 mating, which now leads nowhere after 29 ...Bxf6 30 Qxh7+ Kf8.
29.Re1 e4
30.g4 Kf8
31.Be3 Qc4
32.g5 Bxf5!
Going a whole rook down but the five pawns are an excellent bargain.
33.gxf6 Bxf6
34.Qh5 Bg6!
This game has been all about the true value of pieces in the given position, compared to their nominal value. Here the bishop is worth more than White's misplaced rook.
35.Qg4 Qxa2
36.Bb1 Qc4
37.Qg2 a3
38.Ba2 Qc6
39.Rg3 Rb8
White Resigns
Black is lining up yet another sacrifice on b2 to set up an invincible pawn formation. E.g: 39...Rb8 40 Bc1 Rb2! 41 Bxb2 axb2 42 Bb1 Be5 43 Rge3 f5 44 Rf1 Qf6 45 Ree1 d4 and roman legions will crush all in their path.
0-1
Solution: 1 Bh7+! Kxh7 2 Rf7+ Kh6 3 Bc1 Kh5 (3 ... Qf4 4 Bxf4+ 5 Rh7#) 4 Rh7+ Qh6 5 Rxh6#.